Food, Travel & Lifestyle Blog by Neha

Change In Travel Habits

Travelling during the school holidays sure makes the cost of adventures much more expensive hence the reason Kev & I try to travel off-peak. However, recently we have had quite a few peak time breaks and they have been really good.

Exploring more within the UK:With the British summers getting better, we try to cover more staycations over bank holidays. We generally go as a family. My dad is self-employed which means closing the shop for a couple of days is slightly more bearable over bank holidays and school holidays.

Recent breaks have included Padstow, Torquay, Edinburgh, London & Chester. So far we have been lucky with the weather and it makes one appreciate how beautiful UK is. The UK has so much to offer and each town has its own uniqueness and a lot of history. It can work out to be an expensive long weekend however it has its benefits. A big plus for me is the relief of not having to catch a flight back home. Just jump in the car and drive back (oh and hope there is no motorway traffic).

Unplanned getaways: Starting with our most recent break to Dubai & Abu Dhabi over Christmas. We had nothing planned for the holidays and my cousin asked if we wanted to join them in Dubai while they were on a work trip. We did some research on flights and for some reason flights on the 30th of December were reasonable so we booked our trip. Hotels were much more expensive that usual but with constant searching on Momondo and Trivago we tried to get the cheapest deal possible and made our booking. It was a brilliant start to the New Year and an impulse trip we will remember. Not sure how many more we will have but sometimes you just got to get up and go right?

Cheap packages:On the very rare occasions, sometimes peak time package holidays work out at good value. We were looking to go to Santorini towards the end of October a couple of years ago. We were aware that half-term was falling around then and some holidays were really pricey. The dates we picked (and the cheapest ones) were when Leicester schools had their half term. We were surprised but it may have just been luck. Leicester school closures are normally a week before the rest of the UK and some travel agents probably offer competitive rates then( I am guessing here).

Being part of a Car Owners Group: Kev is part of a car owners group. They tend to have their road trips in the summer or over bank holidays just so the journeys can be longer and weather better (they all like to have their roofs down). In addition to the accommodation costs there is the added petrol costs however we have been lucky enough to drive along some between roads including the one from Skyfall. Being out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nature is priceless. Driving everywhere has enable us to come across places in the UK we would have never seen and enjoy experiences like the fastest Zip Line in the world.

Seasonal Hotels:Sometimes you do have to travel over the peak times to enjoy certain adventures. We went to The Ice Hotel a few years ago. To enjoy the full experience and ensure the ice hotel is open and running, we had to travel after middle of December. Compared to January the package was still cheaper.

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You’ve done well. I wish I would be able to take advantage of cheap packages as much. But in recent time, I am a bit stuck with work. But they make me travel a lot, which I guess is a good replacement.

This looks like an awesome collection of trips! Traveling off-season is definitely a great idea, but it’s true that people often can only go in the summer which is why it ends up being the high season. However, I love the idea of some staycations in the UK; the weather looks really lovely!

You guys have developed the best travel habits, which have enticed me to travel even more. I love all the beautiful destinations that you guys have visited. Truly, this is a great travel tips post which so much to learn from. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.

I live in the UK too and find I easily just take for granted all the great places here to travel to and experience. Deffo need to follow in your footsteps and do more staycations. I love Torquay is well, Cornwall is one of my fave destinations in the UK.

We always travel to destinations off-season to avoid crowd and high expenses. Great tips to save up some money. Never thought of being a member of car owners group, that’s an amazing idea. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Yes, I too have in recent years taken some family holidays during peak seasons. Sometimes they are cheap if planned for quite a few months back and somet
times they are pricey depending on the destination.

Peak times are a bit of a nightmare, but you’re right some of the package deals can be good. Luckily in Leicester the school holidays are different by a week or two, so even though my mum’s a teacher we manage to get the lower prices! X